Stivers, Stumbo finally agree on ethics appointment

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House Speaker Greg Stumbo and Senate President Robert Stivers have finally agreed on an appointment to fill a spot on the Legislative Ethics Commission that has been vacant for two years.

Stumbo, a Democrat, and Stivers, a Republican, informed the commission staff on Friday that they've agreed to name Henry L. Stephens Jr., a professor at Chase College of Law in Northern Kentucky, to ethics panel.

Stephens, 64, of Union, is also a former dean of Chase College of Law.

The commission is made up of nine members - four appointed by the House speaker, four by the Senate president, and the speaker and president must agree on the final appointee.

But since that ninth seat became vacant two years ago, Stumbo has not been able to reach an agreement on the appointee with either former Senate President David Williams or Stivers, who succeeded Williams as president of the Senate at the end of 2012.

The vacancy was never a pressing problem until in April when only the minimum quorum of five members attended a meeting to consider complaints alleging sexual harassment filed by three women on the legislative staff against former Rep. John Arnold, of Union County. Three members were absent and the one seat was vacant.

The commission voted 4-1 to find Arnold guilty of violating the ethics code. But that vote fell one vote short of a guilty finding because five votes are needed for the commission to act.

In the face of a storm of criticism, the commission reconsidered the motion last month. Six members were there to vote the second time. And on votes of 5-1, the commission found Arnold guilty of three ethics violations.

Stephens is a registered Democrat. His selection by Stumbo and Stivers is expected to be confirmed Wednesday by the Legislative Research Commission, which is made up of all legislative leaders in the House and Senate.